One: N.C. State falling into oblivion
The Wolfpack’s recent loss of leading scorer Devon Daniels for the season (torn ACL) essentially extinguished any vague hopes they had of receiving an at-large bid to a non-expanded NCAA tournament. Since N.C. State isn’t part of the greatest rivalry in sports, that’s all the time we have for the Wolfpack this week.
Two: A huge win for UNC
This was the kind of game in which I kept noticing the score and wondering why the Tar Heels weren’t winning by more. The most obvious answer was their poor free throw shooting (just 13-of-22). However, Carolina also gave up too many offensive rebounds and got beat back on defense for several easy Duke buckets. UNC managed to cover for those flaws though, by draining a stunning 10 of 15 threes (making 67 percent, a clip more than twice the Tar Heels’ season average). While Caleb Love deserves the praise he has received for registering career highs in points (25) and assists (seven), this was an all-around effort for the Heels, six of whom scored in double figures. Garrison Brooks tallied 12 points and six boards (including two crucial defensive rebounds with under four minutes to play), and Leaky Black added 12 points while knocking down three free throws in the final minute of the game. And though the Heels let Duke crawl back into the game, Carolina was able to hit the big shot when necessary. It wasn’t the prettiest win ever, but Tar Heel fans ought not to nitpick about any victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Three: Duke’s tourney chances take a hit
With just seven points from Matthew Hurt (his first single-digit output of the season), who was in foul trouble for most of the night and took just six shots (also a season low), it’s surprising the Blue Devils were able to remain in this game at all. Duke was largely ruined by its suspect defense which allowed UNC to run up a season-high 91 points and was sliced up for five first-half dunks. Jalen Johnson notched 14 points, five assists, and five rebounds, but just couldn’t take over the game like Duke needed him to. The Blue Devils now truly have their backs against the wall, as they sit just one game ahead of N.C. State in conference play and with a worse record overall. It seems unlikely that Joey Baker and Wendell Moore Jr. are going to carry this team to the promised land, and Duke needs Johnson, DJ Steward, or Jeremy Roach to step up and provide some consistent offense. The Blue Devils do, however, have a lot of winnable games (and just one matchup with a ranked team) remaining on their schedule. And while the Tar Heels rounded into form quickly coming into Saturday’s contest, Duke has had four fewer games for their freshman class to gel. It’s not unreasonable to think that the Blue Devils could look like a very different team exactly four weeks after Saturday’s matchup when they take the floor at the Smith Center for round two.
Four: The UNC women pull the upset
In ACC women’s basketball on Sunday, unranked UNC stunned fourth-ranked N.C. State. Alyssa Ustby and Petra Holešínská combined to hit seven threes to cap off an excellent shooting weekend for Tar Heel basketball in general.
That bonus point gives us four for this week, like the four-point-play that the Blue Devils would have needed to tie the game on their final possession Saturday. After last year’s unforgettable hijinx in Chapel Hill, I was practically expecting it.
Graphic by Shelby Swanson/The ECHO
